Five key lessons from the Rio Olympics

For sport to inspire it cannot be tainted with corruption. Although the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro produced many stories of great triumphs and inspired performances, it also had its fair share of controversy.

Here are five key lessons from the 2016 Rio Olympic Games:

1. The Olympic spirit is catching and inspiring – so we need to make the most of it

More than half the people on the planet – 3.7 billion – tuned in to watch the games, which included 10,000 athletes from 207 nations. They had a lot to cheer about that proved how sport can be a force for good:

• The refugee team including swimmer Yusra Mardini, 19, from Syria. She had swam for three hours in the Mediterranean pushing a sinking boat to safety last year.
• Michael Phelps, watched by his three-month old son, winning his 23^rd gold medal after a personal journey that saw him go from rehab to most-decorated Olympian ever.
• Nikki Hamblin from New Zealand and Abbey D’Agostino from the US helping each other over the line after falling in the 5000m.

2. Match-fixing is still an issue in international sports

Seven boxing judges were sent home after bouts produced dodgy results. The Guardian newspaper predicted match-fixing would take place in boxing. Irish boxer Michael Conlan, who lost a dubious decision, protested.

Michael Conlan gives the finger to the judges on behalf of every boxer that has been robbed & for the fans. #Respect pic.twitter.com/pZj5R8ufET

— Strictly Boxing Fans (@BoxingBritain1) August 16, 2016

The AIBA, which runs amateur boxing, is considering disciplinary action against Conlan, but there is enough evidence of alleged match-fixing to warrant a full investigation by the International Olympic Committee.

3. Sports governance needs an overhaul

The spectacle of Brazilian police arresting Pat Hickey, head of the Olympic Council of Ireland (OCI) and the European Olympic Committee, evoked memories of dawn raids on top executives at FIFA, world football’s governing body. Hickey, who has been head of the OCI for 27 years, is alleged to be involved in a ticketing scandal.

Head of European #Olympic Committees arrested in #Brazil over illegal ticket sales! #Rio2016 https://t.co/tsW4fAAhaY

— Transparency Int'l (@anticorruption) August 17, 2016

Transparency International brought together experts from around the world to assess the levels of corruption in sport and come up with recommendations for lasting reform.

Read Transparency International’s full recommendations from the Global Corruption Report: Sport here

4. Cheating has consequences

For the Rio Games, 118 Russian athletes were barred from competing by their international sports federations following the revelations of state-sponsored doping. During the games at least four athletes were disqualified for doping. When Yulia Efimova – a Russian swimmer cleared to compete despite serving a doping ban in 2013 – won two silver medals, she was booed.

On 19 August the International Olympic Committee announced that it was stripping medals won at the 2008 Beijing Olympics from Russian sprinters because samples retested using new technology proved positive.

The knock-on effect of these headlines is that when athletes smash records, their performances are called into question. Can we trust what we see? Will today’s Olympic heroes be outed as tomorrow’s cheats?

5. Bad behaviour can overshadow sporting success

When Ryan Lochte, a famous US swimmer, collected his medals he received plaudits; when he lied about being held up at gunpoint along with three teammates after a night on the town, he was duly shamed. The incident initially seemed to confirm Rio’s reputation for crime, but as events unfolded it emerged that the athletes had played on that reputation as cover for their own bad behaviour.

Athletes – particularly star athletes who are held up as role models – should understand that they also have a responsibility to promote sporting integrity in all its forms. (Update: Speedo and Ralph Lauren both ended sponsorship deals with Lochte on 22 August.)

The REAL robbery happened when medals were allegedly stolen due to #corruption. #LochteGate #Conlan #Rio2016 https://t.co/zRZIwV7IFM

— Transparency Int'l (@anticorruption) August 19, 2016

Editor's note: This feature was updated later on 22 August to correct the age of Michael Phelps' son, link to Deryck Murray's blog post and note that two of Lochte's sponsors had ended deals with him.